Philosophy of it can't be

[Guest guest]

Two things struck me this week, on a philosophical level,

concerning the dogma that we run into with this disease.

That old: " it can't be because that's just the way it is " idea. For

example, it can't be pancreatitis because your enzymes are

normal, you don't drink, the organ looks healthy, etc. Or it can't be

because it has never happened before.........

Well the first thing that I am associating with refuting this attitude

is weather related. At the beginning of this week, southern

Wisconsin had record breaking highs - 80s and 90s. In the 125

years or so that data have been kept, temps have never been

this high. So based on past data, using the attitude of most GI

docs.....southern wisconsin did not have 80s and 90s this week.

It was all a figment of our imagination, or equipment error, or it

was something else that was measured not air temperature, etc.

We even may see a bigwig try to espouse some very tortuous

explanation to show why the empiracal evidence is actually not

telling us what we think it is.....using impressive words, confident

expressions and belittling attitudes (in other words, bluster) to

hide the lack of logic (going against Occums razor - that is, the

simplist explanation is usually the right one - in this case.......it

really was in the 80s and 90s in southren Wisconsin on Oct 5th).

The second thing involves the Nobel prize in Medicine. It was

awarded to the two scientists in Australia who proved that ulcers

are caused by bacterial infection, not by stress. I remember

when their data were first published....and how they were

ridiculed and the idea was that they were LOONEY TUNES. No

one took them seriously because after all, it has been accepted

since, well basically " forever " that ulcers are stress related - the

acid release, etc. However, since the late 80s, ulcers are being

treated with antibiotics....and they are being diagnosed by blood

tests. So again, what we " knew " was really a bunch of

hog-wash.

Like our weather records, our investigation into medical

phenomenon is really in its infancy. We are still in the early

stages of gathering empirical evidence. We are not even close to

coming to any firm conclusions, yet, basically about anything.

Part of it is because there has been too few decades / centuries

to do so (when looked at the scheme of things in terms of

longevity of the species / world) and because the phenomena

that we are investigating evolve over time. That is, how our

weather is, is affected by how we are using the world. Just as

how diseases are, are being affected by the changing way we

are using our bodies.

I guess I offer this as a ray of hope to those of us who think we

are crazy to " just know " that something is wrong, when everyone

else, even those who are the experts, tell us that it is just not so.

laurie

[Guest guest]

And once again Ms. Laurie, I applaud you for your VERY well written

and well said Philosophy of " It Can't Be. " Hats off to

you...because as you know and I'm sure there are others here as

well...this is EXACTLY the situation that I've run into time and

time again. More recently with the doctor at Brigham and Womens

Hospital...the illustrious Dr. Banks that made the proclamation that

I didn't have cp w/o so much as running a SINGLE SOLITARY test.

But as you stated, I JUST KNOW IT, I FEEL IT IN MY GUT and the only

one so far to agree with me was Dr. Lehman who deemed it necessary

enough to do a dual sphincterotomy that as you also know did not

work and I'm probably 60% worse off than prior. But was it worth it

for that dx? A huge resounding YES!!! Much to the chagrin of my

husband who now blames the worsening of my illness on that VERY

sphincterotomy AND my PCP who still refers to him as " that guy in

Indiana. " But did help me to at least validate what I KNEW...again

a big resounding YES!!!

Thanks for that Laurie.....